[T]he Burlington City Council has unanimously backed a resolution that officials hope will propel the use of excess heat energy from the McNeil Generating Station to a district-wide system in the city.
The system would deliver heat and hot water to the University of Vermont, the UVM Medical Center, City Place and the downtown area.
The project will move the city closer to Mayor Miro Weinberger’s “net zero goal.” The mayor wants the city to get all of its energy — for electricity, heating and transportation — from renewable sources by 2033.
“This is the single biggest step we’ve identified,” Weinberger said Tuesday. It will get the city 13 percent to 15 percent closer to that goal in the thermal sector and save as much as 1.7 million gallons of heating oil each year.
Councilor Jane Knodell P-Central District, praised city residents who have supported the plan since the McNeil Station went on line in 1984.
“I want to acknowledge the citizens of Burlington who have carried this vision, literally for 30 years,” Knodell said. “Without them keeping the flame alive, we wouldn’t be here.
“There were times when it was extremely discouraging; it looked like there was no hope, no way, but they didn’t give up,” she said.
The McNeil Station currently produces heat from wood waste that is converted to electricity that supplies the New England power grid.
Implementing district heating has been a priority for Weinberger since he came into office in 2012. It was among the “stuck-and-stalled” projects he promised to address during his first mayoral campaign.
Burlington Electric Department general manager Neale Lunderville, whom Weinberger had asked to determine the feasibility of the heating project, said the Burlington Town Center redevelopment — now called City Place — was a key link in making it a working venture.
In late 2016, the city hired the utility infrastructure company Corix for $75,000 to develop a plan for the project, which specializes in district energy systems.
The firm presented a proposal to the city in June 2017. During an April 17 presentation, Burlington Electric explained that Corix will finance the construction of the system and the McNeil plant owners will receive revenue for the heat energy.
